T-Mobile US Stock Has Returned $59 Bil To Shareholders In A Decade

In the last decade, T-Mobile US (TMUS) stock has returned a notable $59 Bil back to its shareholders through cold, hard cash via dividends and buybacks. Let’s look at some numbers and compare how this payout power stacks up against the market’s biggest capital-return machines.

As it turns out, TMUS stock has returned the 42nd highest amount to shareholders in history.

Why should you care? Because dividends and share repurchases represent direct, tangible returns of capital to shareholders. They also signal management’s confidence in the company’s financial health and ability to generate sustainable cash flows. And there are more stocks like that. Here is a list of the top 10 companies ranked by total capital returned to shareholders via dividends and stock repurchases.

Single stock can be risky, but there is a huge value to a broader diversified approach we take with Trefis High Quality Portfolio. Let us ask you this: Over the last 5 years, which index do you think the Trefis High Quality Portfolio outperformed – the S&P 500, S&P 1500 Equal Weighted, or both? The answer might surprise you. See how our advisory framework helps stack the odds in your favor.

Top 10 Stocks By Total Shareholder Return

For full ranking, visit Buybacks & Dividends Ranking

What do you notice here? The total capital returned to shareholders as a % of the current market cap appears inversely proportional to growth prospects for reinvestments. Stocks like Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) are growing much faster, in a more predictable way, compared to the others, but they have returned a much lower fraction of their market cap to shareholders.

That’s the flip side to high capital returns. Sure, they are attractive, but you have to ask yourself the question: Am I sacrificing growth and sound fundamentals? With that in mind, let’s look at some numbers for TMUS. (see Buy or Sell T-Mobile US Stock for more details)

T-Mobile US Fundamentals

• Revenue Growth: 6.3% LTM and 1.6% last 3-year average.
• Cash Generation: Nearly 14.7% free cash flow margin and 23.1% operating margin LTM.
• Recent Revenue Shocks: The minimum annual revenue growth in the last 3 years for TMUS was -2.1%.
• Valuation: T-Mobile US stock trades at a P/E multiple of 21.0
• Opportunity vs S&P: Compared to S&P, you get lower valuation, higher LTM revenue growth, and better margins

*LTM: Last Twelve Months

That’s a good overview, but evaluating a stock from an investment perspective involves much more. That is exactly what Trefis High Quality Portfolio does. It is designed to reduce stock-specific risk while giving upside exposure.

TMUS Historical Risk

That said, TMUS isn’t immune to big drops. It fell about 85% during the Global Financial Crisis. Even in smaller shocks, like the 2018 sell-off and the Covid pandemic, the stock dipped close to 19% and 26%, respectively. The recent inflation shock knocked it down around 32%. Good fundamentals only go so far—when the market turns, TMUS can still take a solid hit.

But the risk is not limited to major market crashes. Stocks fall even when markets are good – think events like earnings, business updates, and outlook changes. Read TMUS Dip Buyer Analyses to see how the stock has recovered from sharp dips in the past.

The Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio, with a collection of 30 stocks, has a track record of comfortably outperforming its benchmark that includes all 3 – the S&P 500, S&P mid-cap, and Russell 2000 indices. Why is that? As a group, HQ Portfolio stocks provided better returns with less risk versus the benchmark index; less of a roller-coaster ride, as evident in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.